Happy Valley LaunchBox

Happy Valley LaunchBox

A signature program of Invent Penn State, the Summer Founders Program is a 13-week accelerator that provides teams $10,000 in funding, resources and mentorship to accelerate their ideas over the summer. Teams work full time on their startup, attend weekly dinners and meet regularly with advisers throughout the summer. The program does not take ownership or equity in participants’ businesses or nonprofits. All that’s asked is participants commit to working hard on their project for the summer and making an impact in their community.

Several new startups launched by community and student entrepreneurs recently graduated from the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank FastTrack Accelerator. Their ideas spanned acne treatment; a better way to find a tech dream job or sublet an apartment; and a Smoke Shield System that increases the amount of time someone trapped in a fire can survive while waiting to be rescued.

“Don’t quit your daydream,” read the signs at the Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank. For Joel Seidel, a rising junior majoring in information sciences and technology, that simple statement is fueling his passion to improve how individuals make informed decisions about their health.

Using Penn State’s entrepreneurial resources, recent graduate Sherveen “Shevy” Karbasi is bringing complete blood count testing out of the clinic and onto a smartphone via HemoGO, an app capable of delivering a CBC in less than a minute, all within the comfort and security of one’s own home.

In an effort to address the low retention rates of online learners, education student Nicole Wang developed SPOT, a web-based application that allows for students to interact in an online classroom while remaining anonymous.

For post-industrial towns throughout Pennsylvania, the departure of major manufacturing brought with it a host of challenges. Yet, for many, it has created a new opportunity — the growth of small businesses and startups. The hope these businesses bring has been a driving force for Tom Sharbaugh, professor of practice in Penn State Law and director of the University’s Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic, which provides free legal resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs around Pennsylvania.

Entrepreneurs across the University will pitch their business ideas and create inventive solutions to common problems through a series of competitions and challenges held during Penn State Startup Week from April 1-5. The challenges are at the heart of Startup Week’s mission of teaching and inspiring participants to make innovation a part of their lives, communities and careers, either by starting their own companies or bringing a problem-solving approach to established organizations.

The 2019 Summer Founders Program will provide Penn State entrepreneurial teams with $10,000 to work on their startup, social good or nonprofit idea full time in State College over the summer. Applications are now open, but close Feb. 15.

Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank invites area residents and Penn State students, faculty and staff with unique business ideas to apply to participate in its Idea TestLab. Entry is competitive, and the application deadline is Feb. 4.

Penn State student innovators and community entrepreneurs are invited to explore their potential by connecting with collaborators, mentors and investors during Global Entrepreneurship Week Penn State, presented by the Penn State Small Business Development Center, Nov. 6–15.